Grooming your Scottish Terrier

Grooming a Scottish Terrier is not just a normal grooming which includes bathing and taking care of other body parts, but also grooming to enhance the look of the dog with its unique built-up features of thick body and heavy bones. This dog has well blended hair, flat skull and brick shaped face when viewed from front.

Brushing a Scottish Terrier

This is a continuous grooming technique. A Scottish terrier has double coated skin with inner soft layer and outer hair which is not of fur type. Hair brushing will remove the dead hair from outer layer and removes soft undercoat which when not done frequently leaves some of its body parts- behind the elbow, between hind legs, furnishings under tummy gets matted. Hair brushing must always be done only in one direction which removes dead hair and mats. Brushing must be done at least once in week.

Bathing your Terrier

As wet tangles are very hard to be removed, Scottie must be bathed only after combing and brushing. A anti-tearing shampoos must be used not to harm Scottie’s eyes. Attention is required near the tummy and legs while bathing Scottie. Dry the hair using dryer and brush simultaneously to allow easy and quick drying, but make sure you don’t set your dryer heat to high.

Taking Care of the Dogs Ears

Fringes cover as a separate layer along half the length of the ears from inside, called as tufts. They form a fan shape hair from inside and line up from the side of the skull. They should appear as small and neat as possible for which they have to be trimmed by 1/3rd from the top end of those tufts.

Giving Scottie a Distinct Look

Proper trimming and care given to the eyebrows give Scottie a distinct look. Do not give a separate look of skull from the muzzle while clipping the hair off from the eyebrows. The eyebrows must be small triangular in shape. Hair under the eyes and near the nose-bridge should never be clipped.

Clipping of the Coat

Clipping at home needs extra attention as the skin and hair is very sensitive for a Scottie. Special doggy clippers must be used to clip the hair and the hair must be clipped in the direction of growth. Clip the hair starting from above the eyes to the front of the skull to back of the ears to the chest area. Clippers should not be used up the backside of the tail.

Always clip towards down from ears to the sides to the chest area and then to the neck base to the elbow then across the ribs, to the thigh then on the thighs and then to the bottom of the tail. Tail must have full hair on the front and very low at the bottom. The tail should be like a carrot with its base onto the Scottie’s back and tip pointing up. The hair should be thick at the base and gradually decrease.